May 18, 2015

Monday morning we worked at home getting some lessons ready and studying some.  We actually got in some Spanish studying which is a challenge with all else we do.  Leanna had brought us each a copy of the book Spanish Verbs Made Simpler and we have started trying to go through those together.  So far we are still looking for the “simpler” part it mostly seems to be list after list of verbs that follow this pattern or the other.  However, after two sessions of trying to teach English either Spanish is a lot easier or we are really bad teachers because our students are having a hard time with the most basic sentences.  Right now, I am going to go with the English is much harder choice.  When we arrived in Juayua, we went to Regina’s home.  We asked about Sulima, Regina’s daughter and it was good news.  The doctors have been able to control the contractions.  They are going to keep her in the hospital until Thursday for observation.  Thankfully the baby did not come so early.  Anita (Raul’s wife) had given us some avocados and Charlotte found a recipe for making bread from them so she made that and we took it with us to share during the study at their house at 5.  We did some door knocking around Regina’s neighborhood and then we went back to the home of a man and woman who had been members of the Church in Juayua many years ago but had gotten into another group after the Church died out there.  The study was good but it was mostly the man asking why we allowed things like pants and lipstick and did not pray on our knees so he has a lot of narrow views from the group he has been with.  Then we went back up to Raul and Anita’s and after sharing the avocado bread (which was great) we separated the men from the ladies and I lead a study with Raul on the need to combine our faith with action because there are some things in his past that need to be resolved and he has been somewhat avoiding them but he said he agreed and was working on them.  Charlotte said the ladies studied about sin causing our separation from God and how Jesus is the only one who can bridge that gap.  She said it was Romans 3-6.  That is a lot of territory.  Then we made our mandatory stop at Selectos.  It was funny because even though our studies ran fairly late we saw Cesar again at Selectos.  Fairly soon after we got home it started pouring rain we were so thankful that we had gotten home before it started. 

Cinnamon plant in Anita and Raul's backyard